Simple Eating Habits to Improve Your Liver Health

There's no denying that what you choose to eat plays an important role in your liver health, especially if you're living with fatty liver disease.

It's equally true that different people have significantly different preferences and orientations around food. This means there are many different ways to create a nutrition strategy that might be considered "fatty liver-friendly."

What we eat isn't the only thing that matters, though — how we eat it does too.

The goal of today's article is to help you understand why this is, why it matters for liver health, and what you can do about it.

Defining the "how" of mindful eating

When I speak about "how" you eat, what I'm really talking about is mindful eating — paying close attention to a few key factors:

• How thoroughly you chew each mouthful
• How much time you take to eat your meals
• The order in which you eat parts of your meal
• Whether or not you are distracted while eating

Let's explore why each of these factors is relevant to both your liver and general health.

Why chewing more can help your liver

Feeling full after a meal helps reduce the risk of unexpected and undesired hunger cravings. This is especially helpful during times of the day when you may not have access to the foods you want to eat.

A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that chewing each mouthful of food more thoroughly (think 40 chews vs. 15 chews) can make you feel fuller after meals. This effect might be explained by an increased release of gut hormones known to contribute to a feeling of fullness.¹

How your eating speed can affect your liver

I always tell my clients to try to avoid eating a meal in 5 minutes that should probably take closer to 25.

I know that isn't always possible, but science tells us it matters.

Building on the previous section, it's no surprise that eating a meal over a longer period (think 5 minutes vs. 30 minutes) leads to a healthier response of fullness hormones. But that's not all.

Fast eaters may also be at higher risk of insulin resistance.²

This is a big concern for people living with fatty liver disease, because insulin resistance is a big driver of liver fat accumulation and inflammation over time.

Why the order you eat your meal matters

Now this is where it gets interesting.

Very often, the traditional vision of a balanced meal includes a protein, a vegetable, and a starch (carbohydrate).

A recently published study found that eating the vegetable and protein portion of a mixed meal before the starch leads to two benefits: a smaller increase in post-meal blood sugar and insulin levels, and a greater feeling of fullness.³

If you're concerned about moderating your post-meal blood sugar response and feeling as full as possible, this is a reasonable strategy worth trying.

And if you must eat quickly now and then, a fascinating study published in the Nutrients Journal found that eating vegetables first — even if you eat quickly — will still help lower your post-meal blood sugar response.⁴

How distractions during meals affect your liver

It goes without saying that being heavily distracted during your mealtime routines makes it hard to follow the guidance above, especially chewing thoroughly.

A fascinating study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that playing a computer game while eating lunch led to less feeling of fullness and greater afternoon snacking.⁵

Obviously, being heavily distracted during your mealtime routines isn't ideal, and this study underlines a big reason why.

Final thoughts on mindful eating for liver health

How you eat, as described in today's article, has a meaningful influence on your health in both the short and long term.

Building mindful eating habits and consistent mealtime routines can make a real difference for your fatty liver health.

The behaviors and tips provided here hopefully feel accessible and are certainly applicable for almost everyone, no matter what food choices they're making.